You have the power to push the fashion system towards the path of sustainability: how do you convey the value of sustainable and ethical garments to consumers?

All fashion – whether sustainable or not – is about visuals and the feel-good factor. We understand the impact that fashion has on the environment, but we also realise that being dogmatic or gloomy about it can be off-putting. So we try to send a positive, feel-good message about having fun with children while gently educating people about environmental impact and how being a responsible consumer can bring about positive change. It’s a win-win situation – enjoying fashion while also feeling good about helping the environment.

What always stays the same is comfortable designs created for active children. That’s why our garments become favourite staples in the wardrobe — because we know how important it is for children to be active and wear comfortable clothing that allows them to do whatever they want.

Timeless staples over trends: how do you define the aesthetics of your brand? Quality over quantity: which materials characterize your collections?

Timeless doesn’t have to be about style. For us, it’s about comfort and enabling children to have fun in their daily activities.

Working with children is a real privilege. While it’s adults who make purchasing decisions and we create classical pieces that stay relevant for many seasons, we look at the clothes we create from a child’s perspective and have fun with the patterns and colours we use in our limited editions. What always stays the same is comfortable designs made for active children.

We use organic cotton for all our collections and test fabrics for durability to make sure our clothes look good even after many washing and tumble-drying cycles. That’s the essence of the brand – children’s clothing that is comfortable and can be worn for several seasons while staying relevant and fresh for both adults and children.

Price tags do not convey the real value of a product: how much does it affect production? How important are the social and environmental costs?

In the traditional fashion sector, still too little. The costs related to brand image and profit margins usually have a greater impact. As a sustainable brand, we’re in a completely different category when it comes to pricing and margins. Because we create grow-along garments for children, we dedicate a lot of time and resources to developing patterns that fit for four sizes, and to testing prototypes. We also work with local European suppliers at all stages — from sourcing materials to developing, testing, and production. This reduces our environmental impact and ensures better quality control.

Our business model focuses on investing in and supporting local communities, working with small businesses at every stage of production. Being part of this ecosystem and supporting it is equally valuable. Whenever possible, we collaborate with projects that create social impact – for example, our leggings are made by a social enterprise in Austria that helps women return to work. Recently we’ve also been donating 10% of all sales to support refugees from Ukraine. In the longer term, we plan to reinvest part of our profits into environmental causes.

As for pricing, we know our clothing creates value for families and the environment, but we still compete with traditional brands and the ingrained instinct to look for bargains. For us, this means helping people understand that lower prices don’t necessarily mean better value. For example, imagine two pairs of leggings: one costs 20 euros and lasts two months; the other costs 40 euros and lasts six months. Over a year, you’ll spend less on the second pair and have a lower environmental impact. We want people to look beyond the initial price tag and make conscious choices — buying less, but better.

Practical and functional clothing for children, but also respectful of their health: why is it so important to prefer certified natural fabrics such as GOTS organic cotton?

Fashion brands talk about sustainability in many different ways, and it can be confusing for consumers. For example, “organic” doesn’t automatically mean a product is safe for everyone — organic cotton can still contain chemicals. That’s why certification matters. There are many standards on the market, and some of them border on greenwashing.

At Babbily, we choose GOTS-certified fabrics because GOTS is a well-established, trustworthy certification that guarantees both organic production processes and fair working conditions. Using organic cotton is only part of the solution, though. Building a sustainable future for our children is about more than the short-term benefits of organic clothing. We also need to reduce the environmental impact of the entire fashion supply chain. That’s why we create clothes designed to last longer and be passed down once children outgrow them.

Children who grow up and clothes that grow along with them… a wonderful idea! Can you explain it better?

For me this is still a bit like magic, even though we work on it every day. The secret lies in understanding how children grow and designing patterns accordingly. Growth doesn’t happen in just one area of the body — it’s distributed. We use this knowledge to create garments that continue to fit comfortably for months or even years.

Here’s a little secret: my chief testers have a three-and-a-half-year age gap. Every time I design a pattern, I test it on both of them — if it fits and looks good on both, it’s good to go.

Do you want to tell us more?

There’s so much that both brands and consumers can do to make fashion more sustainable while keeping it fun. I have many ideas for growing the Babbily brand — new designs, clothing for different age groups, and collaborations for more innovative and responsible production methods.

We also love solving practical problems. One of the first things I worked on when starting Babbily was developing a solution to the issue of knees wearing out — something every parent finds exasperating when it comes to children’s clothes.

Whatever we do next, the basic principles will remain the same – we will always be creating comfortable, good-looking clothes that children love to wear and that are good for the planet at the same time.

Full article https://www.sustainablegate.com/en/collezioni/money-fashion-power/